Doors for shower stalls and entry ways are frequently mounted using vertical hinges. It is quite apparent that in a shower enclosure facility, such hinges must present a somewhat leak-proof barrier as it is anticipated that, during normal usage, water will invade the hinge assembly at times as a result of the direct impact of a continuous stream of water from the shower head.
Various prior art structures such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,261 employ hinged multi-panel door designs with special waterproof hinges and seams to prevent water intrusion. However, such designs tend to be complex and they do not necessarily present a waterproof structure in the event that, during use, the shower door is not fully closed or if the shower door becomes somewhat misaligned from its supporting structure over time. In other words, most waterproof hinges have special watertight edge surfaces which mate when the door assembly is closed. These watertight surfaces include magnetically attractive sealing strips which seal and secure the door assembly when it is closed. Door panel deflector sections are also generally used and are usually constructed in the form of metal stripping which is angled inwardly to deflect water but, once again, these expedients generally only function properly when the shower door has been fully closed so that the door and related assembly form a single unitary plane.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a novel hinge assembly that is used for connecting the panels of a shower enclosure and door together.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a hinge assembly which is not complex in design and yet advantageously can be employed in a shower environment while preventing water intrusion.
These objects will become more readily apparent when considering the following disclosure and appended drawings.